While a white Christmas remains off the cards for most of the UK, the festive period is being dominated by disruptive winds and a significant cold snap, prompting official warnings from both the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Health and Weather Warnings in Force
The UKHSA has activated a yellow cold health alert for south-west England, which began at 6pm on Thursday, 25 December, and will remain until noon on Friday, 27 December. This alert highlights the heightened risk to vulnerable individuals, including the potential for increased pressure on healthcare services and a greater threat to life.
Simultaneously, the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind covering much of the same region in south-west England and large parts of Wales. This warning is valid from 4am until 11.59pm on Christmas Day.
Disruption from Strong Winds and Icy Temperatures
The primary concern is aggressive wind gusts, particularly along exposed coastal areas and to the west of hills. The Met Office forecasts gusts potentially reaching 65 miles per hour, which could lead to transport delays, power cuts, and hazardous conditions from large waves.
This severe weather has already forced the cancellation of traditional festive sea swims in Devon and Cornwall. Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon noted that while high pressure is bringing mainly dry and settled conditions, it is also driving a strong easterly wind, especially along England's south coast, making it "quite gusty."
A Snow-Free but Chilly Festive Period
Despite the cold, meteorologists have confirmed it is "highly unlikely" to be a white Christmas for the UK this year, with a very dry picture dominating. For snow to be officially recorded, it must be observed falling at a Met Office station. While Jersey reported snowflakes early on Christmas morning, no such confirmation had been made in the UK by 8am on Thursday.
Temperatures are set to be notably chilly. Christmas Day highs are expected to reach only around 7°C in north-east England and 6°C in the south-east. Overnight into Boxing Day, frost and freezing conditions are likely, with rural parts of Scotland potentially seeing lows of -6°C and rural Wales around -4°C.
The areas under the Met Office wind warning are:
- South West England: Bath and North East Somerset, Cornwall, Devon, Isles of Scilly, North Somerset, Plymouth, Somerset, Torbay.
- Wales: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan.
